The display device disclosed herein relates to a method and device for upgrading or altering a visual effect of an older machine having an earlier generation monitor (e.g., monochrome monitor).
Since the early 1990s, pinball games have incorporated low resolution (most commonly, 128×32), monochrome, dot-matrix displays to provide video animation and score information during gameplay. Games using these displays are generally capable of producing only grayscale (intensity only) video. The video usually contains 4-16 intensity levels, generated by transmitting a sequence of video frames to the dot-matrix display at a predetermined frame rate (e.g., greater than 60 Hz). By toggling dots on (full-intensity) and off, the average intensity at a dot location is modulated to produce perception of a desired grayscale level. Over the last two decades, many players and pinball collectors have sought an upgrade to this aging display technology but the high cost of redesigning software and hardware systems has impeded the introduction of color displays and upgrades.